Red and Black
by Larkflight
Summary: He knew her. He had never spoken to her like that before. And then they fell in love. Sorry, I suck at summaries. This story is Percy/Artemis. Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

It was a year after the second battle against the Titans. A year after Luke's death, a year since Percy defeated Kronos. Camp Half-Blood had been redesigned and rebuilt to accommodate the new cabins and newly claimed demigods. Hecate, Hades, and many others had been given cabins for their children. Though Nico diAngelo was the only kid in Hades.

"Percy!" a satyr called. He had horns that reached over his curly brown hair and deep brown eyes. "What are you doing?"

A boy with black hair and sea green eyes was sitting on a huge, dark gray boulder overlooking the sea. He was staring into space. The satyr leapt down beside him and was elbowing him to get his attention.

"Percy!" he said again, louder, and the demigod looked at him.

"Oh, sorry!" he said. "I was…"

"Daydreaming?"

"Something like that." The summery air was comfortably blowing the water into wakes and staring at the sea, he felt comfortable.

"It's past curfew," the satyr told him. "You're going to get in trouble…"

"So are you, Grover!" Percy told him. "You should go back to wherever it is you satyrs go when it's dark!"

Grover sighed and looked at the young demigod. "What's the matter? You should be excited! You get to go to Olympus tomorrow for the summer solstice. You've never got to do that before."

"I never defeated Kronos before," Percy pointed out. "It's only because of that."

"Yeah, so?" Grover looked at the sea for a few moments and back at the camp. "What's bothering you, really? Did something happen between you and Annabeth?"

"No," Percy admitted. "We're…not arguing for once. No, it's this dream I had."

"Uh oh." They both knew that demigod dreams were different than normal mortal ones. They usually meant something bad was going to happen. And the two shared an empathy link, connecting their emotions. It was the link that had brought the satyr down to the shore in the first place and now he could feel his friend's uncertainty and despair.

"What was it about?" Grover prodded. "It wasn't anything about…the Titans, was it?"

"No. They're all gone, Grover."

"Then _what?_"

"I…I'm not sure," Percy admitted. "It was dark. I was alone on this shore and it was completely calm. There was only me and the ocean. But the moon was really bright. I mean, not like now, but _really_ bright. Like high-beam headlights. When I looked at it, it should have hurt to stare at, but it didn't. And after I looked at it for a while, someone appeared in the ocean. They were too far away to know who, but I could hear them. Their voice whispered around me."

"What did they say?"

"She told me she was sorry. That she didn't mean for this to happen."

"She…" Grover mused. "Was it Annabeth?"

"No, I know her voice. It was someone else," Percy sighed. "But…I recognized her voice. I had heard it before, somewhere. It was like a memory…" He snorted and looked at Grover. "I'm just being stupid, aren't I? There's no danger anymore. Kronos is gone. Luke is dead. We won a year ago."

"Maybe monsters?" Grover suggested.

Percy shrugged. "I don't know. It's stupid; just forget it."

Grover was still worried, but Percy's eyes were flat. He wouldn't talk about the dream anymore. "Well, we should get back before the Harpies notice we're gone."

"Go on, Grover," Percy said. "I'll come in a couple mintues."

"I don't believe you."

Percy sighed and trailed his friend back to the camp. Before he reached the top, he glanced back at the moon. As he gazed at it, it seemed to glow brighter. He shuddered. He _needed_ sleep. His meaningless dream was getting to him.

He entered his lonely cabin, completely empty. Tyson, his Cyclops brother, wouldn't be at camp for a long time. He rested down to sleep and gazed at the ceiling. Before he fell asleep, the moonlight fell into his room.

_I'm sorry. I'm so sorry._ Percy sat straight up. "Who said that?" he demanded. But no one was there. He sank back into his pillow and closed his eyes. He soon fell into dreamless, black sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Percy sat in the columned room. He didn't want to go anywhere else, even though Grover was telling him to keep moving.

"Come on, Percy," the satyr bugged. "Chiron will be mad if you lag anymore."

"Grover," Percy hissed. "That dream is still bothering me."

"What? The one about the moon? It was jibberish, you said so yourself!" Grover cried indignantly.

"I know what I said," said Percy. "But I keep hearing that voice. I know I should remember who it is, but I can't…"

"Who is it?"

"I said, I don't know!" Grover sighed. Percy sounded so wretched; why was he getting so worked up about a silly dream? It was drabble, that's what it was. A work of his imagination. It never happened and it never would. A girl in the water? Please.

"Well, come on, Percy," Grover said, his goat hooves clopping on the marble floor impatiently. "Chiron will have my fur…"

"Then go on, Grover!" Percy hissed. "Can't you see I want to be alone?"

Grover's eyes widened. Percy had never acted like this before-so cold. It made him afraid; his friend was very powerful, occasionally unstable when it came to his powers, and not to mention, invincible because of his swim in the River Styx. So if he were to lose emotional control, Grover would be a pile of dust and goat fur. "I'm sorry, buddy, I didn't mean to be so harsh," Percy apologized. "I'm sorry."

"This dream is really getting to you?" Grover asked.

"Yeah. I can't get her voice out of my head," Percy sighed. "She must be important…ugh, Grover, I wish I _knew!"_

Pain was coursing through Percy's mind. The dream was affecting him in the waking world. The pain in the girl's voice-it hurt him so much. Like he had hurt her in some way, but she was apologizing to him. What had he done to her? The girl he did not know?

"Alright, Grover, I'll follow you," Percy sighed. He began to get up until Grover shook his head.

"Never mind, Percy," Grover said. "The meeting is probably already over. Do you know how long it took me to find you here, hiding between columns?"

Percy once again felt bad for the hardworking satyr. "I'm sorry…" he began, but even when he said it, those words spread fire in his veins. What was _happening_ to him?

"Stay here," Grover said. "I'll go get Annabeth. She can tell us all about the Council." The satyr clopped off to find the daughter of Athena, Percy's girlfriend.

Percy sighed, lying back, trying to ignore those pain-ridden words from his dream. That was until he heard the scream.

The demigod rose to his feet immediately. He dashed to where he thought he heard the cry come from, between the columns. He saw the claw marks before he found her. The marble was scarred with the marks of a huge beast. Dark gray fur hung on the stone where an arrow pierced it. _Hellhound!_ Percy ducked under a fallen column and found an enclosed area surrounded by huge pillars. A beast with dark fur and red eyes looking like a huge dog stood offensively, gold blood on his jaws. A small girl with auburn hair and silver eyes faced the creature with her bow drawn but she was bleeding heavily out of a long gash on her arm. Percy almost didn't recognize the girl in the mess she was in. She was lying nearly unconscious against one of the columns.

The hellhound howled and sprang at Percy. Before it made a meal of a young demigod, Percy whipped out his faithful celestial bronze sword, Riptide, and sliced the monster into sulfurous amber dust. Stainless steel claws remained on the cracked floor. The girl who'd been attacked was gazing at Percy with wide eyes.

"Perseus Jackson," she said. "What are you doing here?"

"Lady Artemis," he greeted. "I was on the visit to Olympus. What happened? How did a hellhound get in here?"

"I do not know," the goddess of the moon murmured. "It came from the shadows and inflicted this wound upon me." She clutched her arm but ichor, golden blood, smeared her hand. Percy gazed at her injury before he remembered he had a bandana in his left pocket. He pulled out the teal fabric and wrapped it around the goddess's arm. She recoiled from him at first but soon Artemis allowed him to help her.

"How could you not defeat it, Lady Artemis?" Percy asked gently. "You're more powerful than that hellhound was."

Artemis' silver eyes flashed but she said bitterly, "It caught me by surprise! I did not see it approach."

"No one else heard your scream?"

Artemis shook her head. "Apparently they did not." A wave of pain hit her and she flinched. A flash of silver sparks flew from her and one hit Percy's arm.

"Ouch!" he hissed, and a hand flew to his wrist, where there was a little burn mark.

Artemis's voice was laced with apology. "I'm sorry." Percy recoiled and not from the pain. That voice. That _voice._

_I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Perseus. I didn't mean for this to happen to us._ Percy shook his head and murmured, "No. It can't be. No."

"Percy?" Artemis asked, her voice alarmed but soft. "Are you alright?"

"It's you," he said, gazing into her silver eyes. "You're the one from my dream."

"Your dream?"

"Yes," Percy said. "You were in the sea, telling me that you were sorry."

Artemis laughed for a moment but her face fell when she saw how serious his face was. "What for? What did I do?"

Percy sighed. "I don't know. But you sounded terrible. Like _I _did something."

Artemis looked at him with a gaze so soft it surprised him. She held a hand up to his face. "It's alright, Perseus. It was only a dream."

They looked at each other for a few moments before Artemis realized what she'd done. Her hand disappeared at her side and her silver eyes glowed with shock at what she'd done. "I'm sorry," she whispered. A curtain of dark red hair covered her face, hiding her gold-flushed cheeks from embarrassment. "I don't know what came over me."

Percy shook his head briefly. Her gazing into his eyes…it had felt so right. Why? He shook away those thoughts of bliss when she looked at him. The two sat by each other before Artemis broke the silence.

"I'm sorry, Percy."

"Stop saying that," Percy asked. "It only reminds me of the dream."

"I'm s-" she almost said. "Forgive me, Perseus." Her hair fell away from her face and her eyes were so confused and full of emotion. Pained, angry…happy? It happened too quickly. Their heads fell together and their lips met.

Percy was shocked at first but then fell in passionately. It felt so right though he knew it was wrong. His heart beat rapidly when he kissed her. The goddess didn't stop for a long time. Fire and ice coursed through Percy's body, filling him with racing joy. He knew he shouldn't have been happy. But kissing Artemis…it made him so. Their eyes were closed, and everything was silent. He could hear her heart beat as well as his. Hers was as fast. Her red hair mixed with his black-it looked devilish-and his hands held her small face and he could feel golden tears dampening his skin. She knew how wrong it was as well…but he could feel her happiness flowing through him when he held her. Her fingers gripped his black hair and her lips molded perfectly against his. The agony of his joy sent adrenaline of glee full them both.

When they broke apart at last, Percy felt that he would have gone on forever. His sea green eyes looked into her silver…they were full of love. How long had she felt like this? How long had he? He remembered once, after Zoë Nightshade had died, the goddess had gazed at him with eyes filled with emotion. He had thought it had been for Zoë, but he knew now it had been for him. She was upset…with herself or him?

"I'm sorry, Percy," she whispered, her voice trembling. She was closer to him that she had been before, her head against his. She didn't want to pull away entirely, and neither did he. "I should not have done that."

"It's alright," he said breathlessly, finding it hard to talk. _No, it's not alright!_ His conscience told him. _You shouldn't have done such a thing, Percy! Kissed the maiden goddess?_ He realized she appeared seventeen, not twelve like she usually did. She was even more beautiful; had he noticed that before.

"Percy," she whispered painfully, her voice straining. "We can't stay like this. Someone will find us…"

Percy didn't want to, but they pulled away. He blinked. "You're right, Artemis. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she purred. Her silver eyes were soft, searching his. They both stood, breaking the moment.

"I have to go," she said. "My family will wonder what became of me."

"And my friends will wonder too," Percy agreed. "Artemis…"

The young goddess gazed at him, her eyes glowing.

"I have to see you again," Percy said hoarsely. He needed her. He never knew he felt this way about the beautiful goddess, but it pained him to know that he had to leave. "When can I?"

Artemis paused but her gaze reflected what he felt. They both were caught in their emotions. "I-I'll come by y-your cabin t-tonight," she stuttered. He laughed under his breath. He had never heard the goddess so tongue-tied.

"What's so funny?" she asked, her face lit.

"You," he said. They grew closer slowly, and Percy's heart raced again. She then slipped around him in a whisper of wind and was behind him. "I'll see you tonight," she whispered.

"Goodbye, Artemis," he whispered and watched the goddess vanish into silver sparks, streaming through the air. Percy sighed after her, and then realized how long he'd been gone. _Oh, gods, Grover and Annabeth are going to kill me…_Annabeth. How could he forget her? He was so captured by Artemis he forgot about her.

He loved Annabeth, he did, but Artemis…he needed to be with her. He wanted to be with Annabeth; he needed Artemis. He felt so intensely happy when he thought about her…oh gods, what was happening to him?

He raced back to his friends, where he said he'd wait for Grover to fetch Annabeth. The satyr was calling his name and Percy ran into him…literally, when he appeared from the shadows of the columns. Both the demigod and the satyr fell to the ground, dazed. A blonde girl with startling stormy gray eyes was staring at him with amusement on her face. "Well there you are, Seaweed Brain! We were wondering where you went!"

"Is that god blood on your shirt?" Grover asked, pointing to the shimmering liquid that stained his orange Camp Half-Blood shirt.

"Oh…yeah," Percy said, still dazed of Artemis.

"How?" Annabeth asked, her gray eyes soft.

"A…a hellhound attacked Artemis," Percy explained. "It wounded her but I helped her fight it off. It's gone now."

"Is Lady Artemis okay?" Grover asked.

_No. And neither am I._ _Physically, though…_ "Yeah, she's fine," Percy said. _So beautiful…_ "I guess her blood got on my shirt." The memory of their kiss burned in his mind. _I have to see her…_

Annabeth nodded. "Well, okay. Let's go, then. Chiron and the others are waiting for us." She led him, close to his side, and Percy could feel her love for him in her heart. Or, he knew it was there. But he didn't love her. Not like Artemis. Not like her.


	3. Authors Note to Her Disappointed Fans

Okay guys. I`m really, REALLY grateful for all your support of this story. At first, I liked it to. But I just sort of lost the spark, you know? I really want to continue this one for you guys, but not for me, cause I don`t know if I`ll really get into it again..

I`m going to try though! Maybe soon there WILL be another chapter..maybe sometime this month. ;]

-Larkflight


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